Dark Triad and impulsivity
Abstract
The Dark Triad includes three personality constructs; Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. The three facets of the Dark Triad have been associated with manipulative tendencies and callous behaviors. Calculated actions are associated with Machiavellianism. Lack of empathy and remorse has been linked to Psychopathy. Narcissism is also associated with a lack of empathy, but it also encompasses traits like self-centeredness and entitlement. Impulsivity is defined as acting without thought. The facets of the Dark Triad combined with impulsivity could lead to risky behaviors. My proposed study will examine the unique relationship of impulsivity with psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism. I hypothesize that impulsivity will be strongly related to psychopathy and moderately related to narcissism. However, there likely will be no significant relationship of impulsivity with Machiavellianism. This study uses data previously collected from Amazon MTurk (n=152), including measures of the Dark Triad (i.e., Dirty Dozen, Jonason & Webster, 2010; Elemental Psychopathy Assessment, Lynam et al., 2011; Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory, Glover et al., 2012; Machiavellianism Personality Scale, Dahling, Whitaker, & Levy, 2009) and general personality, (i.e., NEO Personality Inventory-Revised, Costa & McCrae, 1992). Implications for research, limitations, and future directions will be discussed.